At The End Of Mass

[SHAKA MAKA1]

In the concluding rites when the priest comes back from purifying the vessels and sits down, there is a small period of silence. When he says let us pray and the altar server usually holds the book for him, Should we be standing at this point, when he is saying the prayer out of the sacramentary. Sometimes our priest just grabs the book himself and reads from it with everyone including himself sitting.

[stephen ondrick]

I have experienced both situations...........I would follow the priest's que.

The priest will probably stand at the final blessing!

[Phemie]

Originally Posted by SHAKA MAKA1

In the concluding rites when the priest comes back from purifying the vessels and sits down, there is a small period of silence. When he says let us pray and the altar server usually holds the book for him, Should we be standing at this point, when he is saying the prayer out of the sacramentary. Sometimes our priest just grabs the book himself and reads from it with everyone including himself sitting.

Is he reading the Prayer After Communion or the Communion Antiphon?

On weekdays our priest usually comes back to the chair and reads the Communion Antiphon THEN he says "Let us Pray" and we stand. Anytime there's a "Let us pray" we should stand.

[John Lilburne]

You should be standing for the Prayer After Communion.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal has instructions on this in n. 43.

"43. The faithful should stand ... from the invitation, Orate, fraters (Pray, brethren), before the prayer over the offerings until the
end of Mass, except at the places indicated below. ... and, as circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed."

Clearly when the priest is saying the Prayer After Communion it is not the period of "sacred silence".

Another liturgical book that gives instructions about this is the Ceremonial of Bishops:
"166 When the bishop returns to the chair after the communion, he puts on the skullcap and, if need be, washes his hands. All are seated and a period of prayerful silence may follow, or a song of praise or a psalm may be sung.
167. Standing at the chair as a minister holds the book or after returning to the altar with the deacons, the bishop sings or says, Let us pray."
(Ceremonial of Bishops, Liturgical Press, 1989, ISBN 0-8146-1818-9, page 60.)

To look up the GIRM go to http://www.romanrite.com/girm.html .